Sappi clinics create healthy impact in South Africa

Supporting the health and wellbeing of Sappi people and the communities where we operate in South Africa is a top priority for our company.

If there’s one lesson the world has learned from the pandemic, it’s that health is humanity’s real wealth.

The many health challenges that have faced South Africa, from Malaria to HIV-AIDS, required that we adapt and respond to this truism since our company’s founding in 1936.

Today we provide employees and contractors with several strategically placed clinics–including satellite clinic services–to support their health and wellness.

Supporting rural health

In South Africa, the remote rural areas where we operate are often limited in terms of healthcare resources. Our clinics are meant to help fill these gaps and meet people where they are with services they can trust and rely on.

Clinics are open daily, manned by specialist staff who assist with primary health care issues and manage chronic illnesses. Services are driven in collaboration with private and state institutions and include:

• HIV and TB testing
• vaccinations
• circumcisions
• women's wellness exams
• mental health services
• dental and vision 

Making a healthy impact

The convenience of services located at or near worksites helps to facilitate participation in vaccination and other public health campaigns. Local services can also improve the long-term management of conditions that require ongoing monitoring and care.

Importantly for the community, Sappi clinics help to reduce pressure on overstretched local health services so that they can devote resources to other pressing healthcare needs.